Research Department

Biography

I completed my undergraduate education at Baylor University and hold graduate degrees from the University of Texas at Houston and the University of Washington. My commitment to improving care of the person with cancer has spanned over three decades, beginning with my work as an oncology staff nurse and continuing with my mentorship activities and current leadership in designing, implementing, evaluating, and teaching patient-centered oncology practices. My scholarship has been presented locally, nationally and internationally and published in nursing, medical and interdisciplinary journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine. I am often asked to speak and contribute in international venues, notably Switzerland, Korea, Hong Kong and Japan. Recently at the University of Washington, I mentored clinicians and students from several disciplines and of all levels. I held a clinical appointment as the first Nurse Researcher at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

I have pioneered in two important areas: patient-centered oncology care and nursing leadership within oncology research. To implement my patient-centered care paradigm, I formulated an interdisciplinary team and then led that team to successfully design and implement accessible, computerized tools to assess symptom experiences and quality of life variables. I led another large, multi-disciplinary team to develop, produce and test the first and only Internet intervention based on personal factors to support treatment decision-making by men with prostate cancer. Recognized by nomination to and election to Fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing, I have assumed increasing leadership and responsibility for transforming health care. As director of the DFCI Cantor Center, these responsibilities will be achieved in oncology nursing.